Finally! The muse has been striking! Around New Year's, I came up with an idea for a chapter book series. It's got some educational value to it, but should also hopefully be entertaining, as well. I managed to outline the premise, as well as prospective titles. I even started doing tome research.
Of course, I was going to blog about it, to let you all know, and then didn't have a chance...
I managed to get a couple of pages written in that book and then let it go for a bit. Today, I felt like I needed to do something productive before watching the football championship games. I opened up the laptop, thinking I would work on the book I had started during NaNo. Instead, Beth and Derek were calling to me.
My fingers flew across the keyboard and now I can say that the first two chapters are complete. I also was able to figure out the missing piece of the quest. I knew there had to be something for which they were searching, just wasn't quite sure how to go about it. I'm excited.
Now, I definitely need to do some more research, to make sure my facts are correct, before I keep on writing. I hope I can do that part soon! And, in the meantime, perhaps some of those other stories will also yell in my ear.
Sunday, January 19, 2014
Monday, January 13, 2014
'Writing Habit Mastery' by S.J. Scott $0.99 Countdown Special 1/13-1/19
LEARN:: How to Forever Eliminate Writer's Block and Write THOUSANDS of Words a Day
Do you struggle to write every day? Many people dream of becoming a successful author, but can't *find* the time to write. The truth is this: Great writers don't have more time than you do. They make time to write. Not only do they make time, they also follow specific routines that help them avoid writer's block altogether.
By developing the "writing habit" you'll have the confidence to sit down in front of a computer every day, knowing the words will come.
YOUR GOAL:: Write 2,000 Words a Day -- Every Day!
One of the key factors to effectively developing ANY habit is choosing a specific, measurable goal. So if you want to become a prolific writer, then you'll need to choose a specific word count for each day. While I *suggest* 2,000 words as a goal, you can pick any number that fits in with your busy schedule. You might choose 500 or 1,000 words a day. Or, you might have more time than I do (or write faster than I do) and choose to write 3,000 or 10,000 words each day. The important thing is to establish a daily word count goal and then stick to it.
In "Writing Habit Mastery" you'll learn how to incorporate writing into your daily routine. What you'll get is a strategy and list of tools that will help you develop a sustainable writing habit and demolish writer's block.
"Writing Habit Mastery" contains a step-by-step blueprint of habits and routines you can use to develop this routine.
Inside this guide you'll learn how to:
- Establish the PERFECT writing routine and environment
- Find the time to write--even if you have a full-time job
- Minimize distractions and interruptions
- Crank out PUBLISHED works on a consistent basis
- Create an energized state where you're ready to write
- Make money from your completed books or screenplays
- Follow a simple seven-step process that prevents writer's block
You can write thousands of words every day. All you need is a strategy to develop this habit.
Monday, December 23, 2013
New handprint poem
I like to do a handprint poem with the kids at the holidays. I got tired of reading the same one over and over again, that seemed to be used in every early childhood room around the world. So, about a dozen years ago, I wrote my own.
I didn't use it every year, because I didn't want it to be overused. I also usually have my kids for three years at a time and didn't see the point in reusing the same material with the same children.
This holiday season, I was left without my assistant for a week, as she was out with the flu. With the holiday singalong coming up the following week, I felt the pressure to get the project done. It's actually very simple. I paint the kids' hands white with a sponge and then print their hands on a colored piece of paper of their choice. I cut out the poem to put on the paper. We have also started to use their photographs, now that it is so easy to print them off. On the back is the child's name and the year.
I'm all excited, hustling through all of the kids. One of my second-year four year-olds gives me a big grin. "I already know how to do this! We did it last year!"
#$%&!#$@^%&
Okay, I have now gone through half of the class. I don't want to waste all of these papers. I don't want to use the same thing I did last year. I don't want to use that traditional one, either. What to do, what to do?
That afternoon, the following words made their way from my brain onto a piece of paper, with a few minor edits. This is what we used.
When I was a baby
I grasped your hand so tight
As you held me through the day
And lulled me to sleep at night
I'm starting to get bigger
And letting your hand go
I still grab it from time to time
For reassurance and hope
The love I find in your hands
Keeps mine filled with promises and dreams
Possibilities are endless
With your support, it seems
Before you are even ready
I'll be grown and away from home
Carrying you with me
Wherever I may roam
I leave you with this memory
Of when we were together
So you can know I hold your hand
In my heart forever
Even the gym teacher said he was about to cry when he read it. And if his daughter were to bring home that project, he would definitely cry. Mission accomplished. ;-)
And for those who would like to read the other one, you can find it at this link.
Feel free to use either one for your projects. Just please leave my name on it when you do and let me know what you did with it. Thanks!
I didn't use it every year, because I didn't want it to be overused. I also usually have my kids for three years at a time and didn't see the point in reusing the same material with the same children.
This holiday season, I was left without my assistant for a week, as she was out with the flu. With the holiday singalong coming up the following week, I felt the pressure to get the project done. It's actually very simple. I paint the kids' hands white with a sponge and then print their hands on a colored piece of paper of their choice. I cut out the poem to put on the paper. We have also started to use their photographs, now that it is so easy to print them off. On the back is the child's name and the year.
I'm all excited, hustling through all of the kids. One of my second-year four year-olds gives me a big grin. "I already know how to do this! We did it last year!"
#$%&!#$@^%&
Okay, I have now gone through half of the class. I don't want to waste all of these papers. I don't want to use the same thing I did last year. I don't want to use that traditional one, either. What to do, what to do?
That afternoon, the following words made their way from my brain onto a piece of paper, with a few minor edits. This is what we used.
When I was a baby
I grasped your hand so tight
As you held me through the day
And lulled me to sleep at night
I'm starting to get bigger
And letting your hand go
I still grab it from time to time
For reassurance and hope
The love I find in your hands
Keeps mine filled with promises and dreams
Possibilities are endless
With your support, it seems
Before you are even ready
I'll be grown and away from home
Carrying you with me
Wherever I may roam
I leave you with this memory
Of when we were together
So you can know I hold your hand
In my heart forever
Even the gym teacher said he was about to cry when he read it. And if his daughter were to bring home that project, he would definitely cry. Mission accomplished. ;-)
And for those who would like to read the other one, you can find it at this link.
Feel free to use either one for your projects. Just please leave my name on it when you do and let me know what you did with it. Thanks!
My NaNo recap
Well, NaNo was sort of a bust for me, because I just didn't get much writing done. Every time I would sit down to try it, I would get interrupted. Or the words just wouldn't come. It was very frustrating. At the same time, I was traveling around a lot, going to shows, and preparing for my awesome Bucket List trip to Seattle. I have also learned how to loom knit, needle knit, and crochet, and was working a lot on those projects.
But, I am okay with this. I do have an outline of sorts for the book that I started. I know in which direction I want it to go. I still don't know if it is going to be a standalone book, or if it will require more than one as a series. I won't know until the words begin to flow again. I do find that to be a huge accomplishment for myself, though, because that is more than I have ever done before in a longer piece.
It's weird. I am not usually a fan of reading short stories. I prefer longer ones, because I get more out of them. Yet, I find myself more apt to write a short story than a longer one. I think it's because I get into a groove. Once that train is derailed, it is hard for me to get back into the same frame of mind. The same thing always happened to me with painting. I love oil paints, but lose my mojo when I have to wait in between layers.
So, no NaNo success for me, in the traditional sense of the word. But, a feeling of accomplishment for myself. That is what matters the most.
But, I am okay with this. I do have an outline of sorts for the book that I started. I know in which direction I want it to go. I still don't know if it is going to be a standalone book, or if it will require more than one as a series. I won't know until the words begin to flow again. I do find that to be a huge accomplishment for myself, though, because that is more than I have ever done before in a longer piece.
It's weird. I am not usually a fan of reading short stories. I prefer longer ones, because I get more out of them. Yet, I find myself more apt to write a short story than a longer one. I think it's because I get into a groove. Once that train is derailed, it is hard for me to get back into the same frame of mind. The same thing always happened to me with painting. I love oil paints, but lose my mojo when I have to wait in between layers.
So, no NaNo success for me, in the traditional sense of the word. But, a feeling of accomplishment for myself. That is what matters the most.
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Finally starting NaNo...
I don't know what my problem is. I have the worst case of Writer's Block I have ever had in my life. I can't seem to even begin anything, despite a complete lack of ideas running through my head. About a week ago, I finally came up with the idea I wanted to do in my novel And I haven't even come close to getting started, yet.
Here we are, on the 12th of November. I should be at over 20,000 words. I have maybe 100 written, consisting of the outline of scene ideas in my mind. I am feeling frustrated and almost like a failure.
Yet I refuse to give up on myself.
I am sitting at my favorite bar & grill, laptop on the table, notebook for jotting notes, spiked root beer, and the start of snacking and dollar tacos. Let's do this!
Here we are, on the 12th of November. I should be at over 20,000 words. I have maybe 100 written, consisting of the outline of scene ideas in my mind. I am feeling frustrated and almost like a failure.
Yet I refuse to give up on myself.
I am sitting at my favorite bar & grill, laptop on the table, notebook for jotting notes, spiked root beer, and the start of snacking and dollar tacos. Let's do this!
Monday, November 4, 2013
Okay, I'm doing it!
Hey, did you think I disappeared? I was kind of afraid that I had, as well. As quickly as that idea train got started, it also quickly got derailed.
Oh, I have been writing up a storm for the past few weeks. Probably enough to fill at least a novella, if not a novel. Oh wait, that's called parent-teacher conference reports. :-P
But, this year they were complete by this first week in November. (In previous years, they took place throughout the month of November.) Which means, I no longer have my annual excuse for not participating in NaNoWriMo.
What is NaNoWriMo?
National Novel Writer's Month. You have 30 days to write a 50,000 word novel.
Am I crazy?
Yes. But, something like this just may be what I need to kick myself in the ass and get this whole thing going. I have a ton of children's books completed, that just need photographs and illustrations. I have a few short stories that are either complete or close to completion. I have a couple of novel ideas started. Now I am going to be forced to actually get one completed.
Of course, I was so brain-dead this weekend after doing all of those reports and meetings that I couldn't come up with any ideas. See, I have a couple started, but you have to have a brand new idea in mind for this challenge. You may have an idea and an outline completed ahead of time, but you may not start writing until November 1st. I don't like to break rules, so I was struggling to think of something new. I slept a ton this weekend (15 hours Friday night, alone), which I think helped me to recharge. I woke up this morning with an idea in mind that I think I would like to work on.
No, I am not going to share it, yet. I don't want to jinx myself by sharing about it quite yet. Instead. I am going to start on it and then see how it goes.
And when I say start on it, I mean start tomorrow. I had the last two reports to write tonight, and some Fiverr obligations to finish, and book to review tonight. It's only 6 o'clock, but after Daylight Savings ended, and I am already tired. I'm still fighting off the ick. And falling further behind.
But I *WILL* do something with this. Getting anything written this year will already have me winning vs. the previous two years.
I promise to keep you posted.
Oh, I have been writing up a storm for the past few weeks. Probably enough to fill at least a novella, if not a novel. Oh wait, that's called parent-teacher conference reports. :-P
But, this year they were complete by this first week in November. (In previous years, they took place throughout the month of November.) Which means, I no longer have my annual excuse for not participating in NaNoWriMo.
What is NaNoWriMo?
National Novel Writer's Month. You have 30 days to write a 50,000 word novel.
Am I crazy?
Yes. But, something like this just may be what I need to kick myself in the ass and get this whole thing going. I have a ton of children's books completed, that just need photographs and illustrations. I have a few short stories that are either complete or close to completion. I have a couple of novel ideas started. Now I am going to be forced to actually get one completed.
Of course, I was so brain-dead this weekend after doing all of those reports and meetings that I couldn't come up with any ideas. See, I have a couple started, but you have to have a brand new idea in mind for this challenge. You may have an idea and an outline completed ahead of time, but you may not start writing until November 1st. I don't like to break rules, so I was struggling to think of something new. I slept a ton this weekend (15 hours Friday night, alone), which I think helped me to recharge. I woke up this morning with an idea in mind that I think I would like to work on.
No, I am not going to share it, yet. I don't want to jinx myself by sharing about it quite yet. Instead. I am going to start on it and then see how it goes.
And when I say start on it, I mean start tomorrow. I had the last two reports to write tonight, and some Fiverr obligations to finish, and book to review tonight. It's only 6 o'clock, but after Daylight Savings ended, and I am already tired. I'm still fighting off the ick. And falling further behind.
But I *WILL* do something with this. Getting anything written this year will already have me winning vs. the previous two years.
I promise to keep you posted.
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
A conversation with Devin D. Thorpe, author of 'Crowdfunding for Social Good'
What prompted you to bring the crowdfunding concept to readers?
Like most people, my first exposure to crowdfunding was backing a project on Kickstarter. I was immediately intrigued. After tackling crowdfunding for Forbes for a while, I recognized the need for a book describing how to be successful with it.Can you sum it up in just a few sentences, to give readers a taste of what is in your book?
Crowdfunding is a powerful tool to help people raise money for their companies, causes and projects. I hope that people will use their passion and energy to do some good in the world!How does this book go hand-in-hand with your others?
Your Mark On The World and 925 Ideas to Help You Save Money, Get Out of Debt and Retire A Millionaire So You Can Leave Your Mark on the World are designed to help people manage their own money to help people do good in the world. Crowdfunding for Social good is written to help people raise the money they need to do good.What message do you hope readers will take with them from your books?
I want people to believe in their own power to really make a difference. You don’t have to be a billionaire. You don’t have to be a genius. Anyone can make a difference.How does sharing your knowledge with others fulfill you?
Knowing that over 100,000 people have read my books inspires me to keep going. People are reading them, pondering their ideas and some, at least, will not only change their lives, they will change the world!What was one of the best parts about living in China for a year?
“Living in China gave me an opportunity to meet and learn to love new people. It also gave me a chance to experience life in a place without some of the civil liberties we enjoy. I returned with a much greater appreciation for the freedoms we take for granted in America and much of the West.”What are your goals for the future?
I’m always looking for new ways to do something that matters, something that will have an impact, to really make a difference in the world.What else should we be reading?
Read whatever inspires you to do good and be your best! Your potential for good is infinite regardless of where you’ve been.What is something readers may be surprised to learn about you?
Readers would probably be surprised to learn that my most embarrassing moment involves a women’s restroom.Is there anything else you would like to share?
Thank you so much for this opportunity!
Crowdfunding for Social Good: Financing Your Mark on the World
by Devin D. Thorpe
Over the last year of writing my Forbes blog, I have had the opportunity to really dig deeply into the world of crowdfunding. I’ve just completed my first draft of my new book, Crowdfunding for Social Good: Financing Your Mark on the World.
The book is a guide to successful crowdfunding for people who want to change the world.
The book is not a sequel to my book, Your Mark On The World, but it is written in the same spirit. I’ve studied a dozens of successful crowdfunding campaigns, interviewing the people behind them to learn their secrets for success.
Devin's Book, Your Mark on the World, was downloaded over 75,000 times and reached the #19 spot on Amazon's free book list--among all free books. It remains on the top 50 free nonfiction books at Amazon.
Available in Paperback
About Devin:
Devin D. Thorpe thinks he is the luckiest person alive. After being “let go” from the best job he’d ever had—as the Chief Financial Officer of the multinational food and beverage company MonaVie—he and his wife ended up living in China for a year where he wrote Your Mark On The World and embarked on the career he’d always wanted yet hadn’t dared dream.
Now, as an author, a popular guest speaker and Forbes contributor, Devin is devoted full time to championing social good. His current life isn’t much like his past.
As an entrepreneur, Devin ran—at separate times—a boutique investment banking firm and a small mortgage company. He served as the Treasurer for the multinational vitamin manufacturer USANA Health Sciences years before becoming CFO for MonaVie. Over his career he led or advised on the successful completion of $500 million in transactions. Devin squeezed in two brief stints in government, including two years working for Jake Garn on the U.S. Senate Banking Committee Staff and another year working for an independent state agency called USTAR, where he helped foster technology entrepreneurship during Governor Jon Huntsman’s administration.
Devin is proud to have graduated from the University of Utah David Eccles School of Business, which recognized him as a Distinguished Alum in 2006. He also earned an MBA at Cornell University where he ran the student newspaper, Cornell Business.
Today, Devin channels the idealism of his youth with the loving support of his wife, Gail. Their son Dayton is a PhD candidate in Physics at UC Berkeley (and Devin rarely misses an opportunity to mention that).
Connect with Devin:
Twitter: @devindthorpe
Google+: devinthorpe.com
Tumblr: yourmarkontheworld.com
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